Awards and Achievements

Accomplishments 2009-2010 Academic Year

February 2010

Auto Tech Club Donates to Help U.S. TroopsBy unanimous vote, the 70-member Auto Tech Club donated $2,000 last fall to “Operation Light Saber,” a program started by Off Road Adventures magazine. The program delivers donated vehicle lights to troops overseas to make repairs on broken down or damaged vehicles. To date, Auto Tech’s donation is the largest single contribution they have received.

Two Faculty Members Named Coach of the YearHead Football Coach Dan Atencio was named Coach of the Year in the Coast Conference and also Region 2 NorCal Coach of the Year. Head Track and Field Coach Nick Mattis was named Coach of the Year in the Coast Conference for Women’s Cross Country. Congratulations to them both for their fine work.

Creative Arts Faculty Member in the SpotlightBill Mattick, part-time photography instructor, is featured in Color Magazine’s March issue for his 2004 series “The Caretakers,” an eight-month photographic study of an abandoned train station in Oakland. Visit www.billmattickphotography.com/ to see that series and others by Mattick.

April 2010

Photography Student Wins AwardStudent Phil Richardson’s landscape photo has been selected as a final entry and will be published in Photographer’s Forum magazine’s “The Best of College Photography 2010.” Richardson’s photo was one of 100 selected from 13,947 images submitted by 3,500 students nationwide. For more information contact instructor Wilfredo Castano at ext. 8765.

Three Athletic Teams Win Scholar AwardsThe Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Track and Field, and Women’s Tennis teams have received the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Scholar Team Award for 2010. This is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the CCCAA, and the first time that De Anza has had more than one team recognized in a year. All team members must have excelled academically with a total GPA of 3.0 or higher. Congratulations to the teams and their coaches: Nick Mattis, JJ Noble and Coleen Lee-Wheat.

Instructor Named to Athletic Hall of FameWomen’s Soccer Coach Cheryl Owiesny has been named to Saint Francis High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Owiesny, a 1987 graduate of Saint Francis, will be honored on Saturday, May 1, at the Mountain View High School along with other inductees.

Instructor Featured in Dance Teacher MagazineMath instructor Karl Schaffer and dance partner Erik Stern were featured in the March 2010 issue of “Dance Teacher” magazine. Schaffer and Stern travel the country and teach Math Dance about six times a year. For the complete article see www.dance-teacher.com/content/1-1-pas-de-deux.

Instructor’s Essay Published, Book HonoredGlenn Lovell, part-time Film/TV instructor, published his essay “Sub-par Propaganda” in “The Pop Culture Zone: Writing Critically about Popular Culture.” Also, his “Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges” was among those named Best Books for Special Interests, selected by the American Association of School Librarians, and Best Books for General Interests, selected by the Public Library Association.

Outreach Director Awarded DoctorateRob Mieso, director of Outreach and Relations with Schools, was awarded his Ed.D. in educational leadership and change with an emphasis on community college leadership from Fielding Graduate University. His dissertation, “Connecting the Dots--From Planning to Implementation: Translating Commitments into Action in a Strategic Planning Process,” focuses on the college’s strategic initiatives. Mieso also serves on the governing board of the San Jose California Student Opportunity and Access Program/Silicon Valley Higher Education Roundtable (Cal-SOAP/SilVHER), representing De Anza. The consortium of UC, CSU, community colleges and high schools collaborate to promote college-going culture and increase the college participation rate of underserved and at-risk students.